In the past, Halon halocarbons have found extensive application in connection with fire suppression. The term “Halon halocarbons” generally refers to haloalkanes, or halogenoalkanes, a group of chemical compounds consisting of alkanes with linked halogens and, in particular, to bromine-containing haloalkanes. Halon halocarbons are generally efficient in extinguishing most types of fires, are electrically non-conductive, tend to dissipate rapidly without residue formation and to be relatively safe for limited human exposure. In the past, Halon halocarbons, such as the halocarbon Halon 1301 (bromotrifluoromethane, CBrF3), have found utility as fire suppressants in or for areas or buildings typically not well suited for application of water sprinkler systems, areas such as data and computer centers, museums, libraries, surgical suites and other locations where application of water-based suppressants can result in irreparable damage to electronics, vital archival collections or the like.
Halon halocarbons, however, have been found to have a detrimental impact on the environment due to their ozone-depleting effect on the earth's atmosphere.